A recap and wish for 2009,

As another year turns the page, fundfindr.tv has been pleased to present some of the top minds in investment, entrepreneurship and events for your viewing pleasure this past year.  Our mission has always been to democratize venture capital and venture success.  Key to this goal is sharing great content - over 153 posts - with you, our viewers.  Herewith, some of these Top posts and videos from the past year.

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Interviews:  Over 45 exclusives including highlights from The Funded’s Adeo Ressi.

Adeo was definitely one of the amazing people we met - no bullshit and committed to  helping leveling the playing field between the ideas and money.  In his New Year’s message he announced great plans for Thefunded.com next year - ping us and we’ll send you his message.  We also highly recommend you check out and register for the site if you are a CEO.

Other no nonsense types with valuable advice, we had the pleasure of featuring included: Robin Chakrabarti who started the year as a key man in The Dragon’s Den, Bootup Lab’s Danny Robinson, Super blogger John Chow and Miss 604 Rebecca Bollwitt. Robin shared some success snacks with our viewers and ended up joining Boston Pizza International CEO Mike Cordoba in launching a new Investment company targetting mid-market firms with high growth potential.  No doubt, we’ll hear much more from Robin in the coming year.

Danny launched his latest venture Strutta as a destination video competition’s site, transformed it to an API licensing model all while launching an exciting new Vancouver-based incubator Boot-Up Labs geared to build real companies first and attract VC later.

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Straight from the investor’s mouth: We gathered pearls and nuggets from leading Angel Fund managers and investors like Basil Peters, Mike Volker and Yaletown Venture’s Ralph Turfus.  The video thumbnail above  features Part III of the exclusive fundfindr.tv interview with Mike Volker on Angel funds and how they are structured for success.

Webisodes and Features: Our first Webisode set the tone on our mission to educate entrepreneurs and our many features including a growing roster of top expert speakers like Dr. Geordie Rose, Barry Jinks and Eric. T Petersen ended the year with a big finish.  Look for their excellent knowledge sharing and upcoming presentations by Darrin Barefoot at IMC, Mossadiq Umedaly at VEF and many more on backbonemag.com and fundfindr.tv.

Can’t miss Events: Way too many to cover them all but fundfindr.tv was there capturing the excitement at: New Ventures BC, New Media B.C’s Fusion Forum, Small Business BC, Enterprize 2008, VEF Momentum, VANTEC, Massive Tech Show.  Riiplay some of the excitement here and look for much more in 2009.

fundfindr News: Like many of our subjects, fundfindr Media also transitioned through the year.  Stay tuned for much more Knowledge on Demand, top opinion leaders and experts captured on video as we put finishing touches to the upcoming launch of the Riiplay.tv Alpha - covered here on Techvibes.

We are convinced that in today’s economy Knowledge is Power and we’re committed to helping you get it.  Register for an Alpha invite at www.riiplay.tv today.  Just hit the riiplay button and provide your email.

So, set your goals high, attack the year with optimism,  reflect on  hits and misses from the past year and learn as much as you can to prepare yourself for success.  Make 2009 your best year ever!  We will.

Thanks for watching,

Bret Conkin and the fundfindr.tv team

Are you an innovator with a promising business opportunity looking for investment? Wondering about the pros and cons of applying to appear on the CBC show? Read On.

Fundfindr is assisting Dragon’s Den in finding top, innovative ventures to appear on the upcoming season of CBC’s Dragon’s Den. Got a hot venture with some sales or traction? Available to head to T.O. week of June 9? Given our position in the venture investment arena, we hear lots of opinions, pro and con on appearing on TV with your pitch. Here’s our take on some FAQs we hear:

• How do I know if I’m a good candidate? You should have some sales or traction (at least a prototype), have done your homework on the market and differentiation, know your numbers and have honed your pitch many times.
• The idea should be one that you can easily get people excited about and/or have a convincing business model. The Dragon’s want to make big money after all!
• You should be ready for second round or angel financing. This assumes you’ve completed a friends/family/founder’s round to show skin in the game and you are still early stage enough that the amounts invested on Dragon’s Den fit (typically several hundred thousand dollar investments at valuations $1M or so.
• Given the consumer audience, consumer goods and inventions seem to be a good fit; not so much complex b2b technologies or industrial plays. Not a hard and fast rule, mind you.
• Will it hurt me if the Dragon’s decide they are “out” (won’t invest)? Well, that depends if you’re ready, practiced and not intimidated by the Dragons, TV lights, cameras etc. – It’s entertainment TV baby, so prepare for that arena. Often the Dragon’s are looking for 50%, which raises control considerations. Keep in mind, you potentially are gaining some pretty savvy business people, albeit not traditional angels, that may get quite involved in helping you.
• Will someone steal my idea if I present if publicly? We are big advocates of public pitches as the benefits of feedback, collaboration, exposure and so on far outweigh the risks. Just because someone views your idea does not mean they are going to drop everything and compete with you. Besides, you are not revealing your secret sauce! While you are at it, sign up and pitch at www.fundfindr.com and we’ll give you some feedback and an investor audience!
• What are the benefits? There are numerous examples of worthy firms that have leveraged the exposure the show provided to find and secure investment from other. Think of it as a platform not and endpoint. See this Canadian Business article on Life after No . A good showing even without investment can give you a valuable promotional tool. Obviously, if they invest - $$$$ and support. As we tell everyone, far better to own a smaller piece of something big than vice versa. That said, dilute when it makes sense.
• What else should I know? The opportunities are vetted before and if a deal is done, afterward. So, the decision that looks instant on TV can change in due diligence – giving you (and them) an out. While Dragon’s Den is not a realistic presentation of how investment actually happens, it does create a platform for promoting innovation and investment. And being Canadian, it is better than American Inventor, at least!
• No doubt, you’ll make some good contacts – never a bad thing.

If you’re interested, send an email to info@fundfindr.com and we’ll tell you more about next steps. Your next date just might be with the Dragons! Of course, we recommend you publish your pitch at fundfindr too, so you can reach many more than 5 potential investors!

Agree or disagree with our FAQ? Leave a comment.

Robin Chakrabarti serves as Vice President, Corporate Development of the T & M Group of Companies, in a role of M&A where he is always looking at new opportunities. Robin shares tips on how to make your business marketable for suitors when the time is right. T&M, with the T being Jim Treliving of Dragon’s Den and the M, George Melville, is a very successful corporate group with a pedigree of over 30 years of experience investing, building and growing profitable businesses, including Boston Pizza, Mr. Lube and Global Entertainment. In 2005, Robin was named one of BC’s top 40 businesspeople under 40.

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Robin Chakrabarti advises fundfindr entrepreneurs to have identified the exit strategy in their business plan prior to launching a venture. In his former career, as the Regional Vice-President and General Manager of Canadian Springs, Robin helped negotiate the sale of Sparkling Springs to French multi-national Group Danone for $500 million. He now serves as Vice President, Corporate Business Development of the T & M Group of Companies. T&M have over 30 years of experience investing in, acquiring, building and growing profitable businesses, including Boston Pizza, Mr. Lube and Global Entertainment. In 2005, Robin was named one of BC’s top 40 businesspeople under 40.

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Like all our video success snacks, tune into this easy to digest and good for you list of 5 things you need to know like #4 - Understand and Communicate the Risks - control the discussion on risks. For another Snack from Robin on Hiring, click here.

Robin Chakrabarti is the VP Corporate Development for T&M Group of Companies, the parent company for Boston Pizza, Mr. Lube, the Central Hockey League and much more. Robin works with owner, T in T&M and Dragon Jim Treliving who we have posted on previously. He is also a past winner of the BIV Top 40 under 40 award (the third we have featured after Mike Desjardins and Lindsay Smith). In his role, Robin deals with numerous relationships as he pursues partnerships and M&A - vetting deals of which the team is a vital part. So Robin is well credentialed to share this snack on 3 keys for assessing talent.

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